Conserving Marine Environment towards the Sustainability of Marine Resources for Food Security

Transcription

1 Conserving Marine Environment towards the Sustainability of Marine Resources for Food Security Wan Izatul Asma Wan Talaat Institute of Oceanography and Environment UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU MALAYSIA 15 th Meeting of the UNICPOLOS, UN Headquarters, New York May 2014 INTRODUCTION As the world population rapidly grows FOOD SECURITY is a major concern to many nations Seafood has always been important to the livelihood of mankind & its role to the global FOOD SECURITY irrefutable evolves around the 3 pillars of sustainable development (3Ps) Social (People) Economic (Profits) Environment (Planet) 1

2 Considerable pressures due to changes in the environmental parameters natural anthropogenic Impact fauna & flora inhabiting the ocean Reduce our seafood supply AFFECT GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY Malaysia s LME Malaysia is essentially a maritime country Spanning more than 19 degrees of longitude > 4600 kilometers of coastline bordering 4 major large bodies of water Straits of Malacca South China Sea World Resources Institute (2006) Malaysians derive more of their protein from fish than any other country in Southeast Asia Sulu Sea Sulawesi Sea One of the most productive seas in the world World s highest level of biodiversity (Talaue mcmanus, 2000) (Jin, 2000) harbours 1,027 species of fish 91 species of shrimp 73 species of cephalopods 2

3 MALAYSIA S INITIATIVE As a coastal State Seafood or marine resources have been playing important roles to Malaysia Not only as a key source of food & nutrition Also as a major economic source either In food production chain As revenue for economic growth Malaysia is very committed to ensuring that our marine ecosystem remains healthy so that this rich biodiversity can be enjoyed in perpetuity and sustainably utilised for wealth creation in line with out objective to be a fully developed nation by 2020 Dato Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Coral Triangle Initiative Summit, Manado, Indonesia, 15 May 09 Coral Triangle Initiative Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFO) South China Sea 5.7 million square kilometres supports120 million people Coral Sea 3

4 Ministry of Science Technology & Innovation Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Goal 1 Priority Seascapes Designated and Effectively Managed Goal 2 *Ecosystem Approach to Management of Fisheries (EAFM) and Other Marine Resources Fully Applied Goal 3 *Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Established and Effectively Managed Goal 4 Climate Change Adaptation Measures Achieved Goal 5 Threatened Species Status Improving *Active in Malaysia DOMESTIC INITIATIVES Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Ramsar sites for mangrove forests Aquaculture Industry Zone (ZIA) 83 MPAs (43 coral reefs) 3 out of 5 Ramsar Sites 4

5 DOMESTIC INITIATIVES Artificial Reefs Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS) MALAYSIA National Higher Institution Centre of Excellence in Marine Science Mandate Sustainability of the Marine Ecology Current research focus in sustainable resource management through understanding of the processes & interactions in the southern part of South China Sea (Sunda Basin) highest coastal zone population growth in the world & relies heavily on its marine resources Influenced by river & other terrestrial inputs 5

6 INOS RESEARCH APPROACH Biology Ecology Interactions with Human Marine Endangered Species (MES) SPECIES Good indicators of the state of our marine environment. Their survival in the wild reflect on how well we can ensure our marine environment remains healthy other natural resources especially THE SEAFOOD are protected Marine Environmental Processes (MEP) HABITAT Ocean Dynamics Biogeochemistry Ocean Productivity Very important to determine the health of the ocean SCS Oceanic Health & Sustainability Ocean Governance Legislation, Administration & Policy framework for SPECIES & HABITAT Conservation/Protection Law of the Sea Convention 1982 (Article 194) Requires all State Parties to take all necessary measures to Prevent Reduce Control pollution of the marine environment from any source overarching provision in biodiversity conservation & protection of the marine environment 6

7 To create Sustainable Ocean Governance At the domestic level Steps must be taken to strengthen the existing National policies Laws Administrative measures govern the management of Malaysian waters Integrated Inputs from Stakeholders Meeting MES MEP SCIENTIFIC CRUISE To understand the oceanic process of the open water Will help gain an understanding on the regional scale of the different environmental processes & MES distribution in the SCS 7

8 DEMONSTRATION SITES At the moment - the vastness of the SCS and the legal implications of international territorial waters preclude studying the entire SCS Hence - this project programme looks at 2 specific sites Coastal Waters of East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia Part of Baram Delta in Borneo 15 PROJECTS BASED ON DEMOSTRATION SITES HICOE OCEANOGRAPHIC CRUISE 1. Inter seasonal monsoon current circulation and water characteristics dynamics of the South China Sea 2. Spatial and temporal variations of phytoplankton biomass and production related to physical and chemical environmental factors. 3. Biogeochemical study of elements in South China Sea 4. Studies on sea turtle hatchlings during their Lost Years 5. Occurrence, Distribution and Abundance of Cetaceans in the Malaysian South China Sea. ISLANDS OF TERENGGANU 1. Application of Underwater Video for Coral Reefs Health Assessment 2. The Relationship of Interstitial waters and Sediment Quality on Coral Reef Health 3. Temporal Variability of CDOM, Solar UV Exposure, Sedimentation and Current: Impact on Coral Reef Resistance and Resilience. 4. Influence of Holocene Relative Sea Level Change on Coral Reefs BARAM DELTA 1. Environmental Processes 2. Species Composition, Distribution and Abundance of Sea grass and their Relationships with Dugong s Population Ecology. 3. Studies on Sea Turtles at their foraging grounds. GOVERNANCE 1. Developing Effective Governance for the Sustainable Management and Conservation of Marine Endangered Species 2. Understanding the Human Marine Mammal Interactions and their Implication on the Livelihood of Coastal Communities in the Malaysian South China Sea. 8

9 17 OUTPUTS FROM THE STAKEHOLDERS MEETINGS Established direct links to relevant organisations to determine national needs Obtained feedbacks from stakeholders Supported government decisionmaking process by providing scientific information & solutions Sought collaborations from Sabah Parks Sarawak Forestry Corporation Sabah Environmental Protection Department Federal Department of Marine Parks Australian National Centre of Ocean Resources and Securities (ANCORS) Asian African Legal Consultative Organisation 18 9

10 What INOS has done for Coral Reefs Conservation Developed underwater video transect survey for the public to help in monitoring status of Corals [with Marine Park] Mapping Coral reefs distribution [with Marine Park and Sabah Parks] Developed strategies to improve corals resilience Coral Reefs Health Index to improve efficacy of reef management Water quality monitoring and ecosystem modeling for impact mitigation and prediction Offshore Corals Farming Offshore Coral Farming Platform 10

11 Education & Awareness CONCLUSION Sustainable oceanic health is crucial to conserve marine resources to ensure sufficient SEAFOOD SUPPLY Considering that some of Malaysia s seas lie within one of the most biodiverse regions of the world marine conservation in Malaysia is critical for GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY INOS three pronged research programme to help the government create sustainable marine environment through scientific based law and policy reform effective governance framework regional environmental cooperation 11

12 THANK YOU for your kind attention 12